Chapter Seven. The gym is where I’ve spent most of the last few days

Rocco

The gym is where I’ve spent most of the last few days. Friday morning when Erin said Alyssa went home, my mood went to shit. We had such a good time Thursday night after getting rid of that dickhead. I was hoping maybe she was starting to get over him. If she is ready to move on, then maybe we could…Damn it! What am I thinking?

“Rocco. What the hell are you doing here, again? And why the fuck are you not answering your phone?” Shane’s voice catches me by surprise causing me to almost drop the weights which are currently suspended over my chest.

“Couldn’t sleep.” I reach back to set the weights down.

Shane grabs the bar from me. “It’s after twelve. How long have you been here?”

“Not sure.” What time did I get here this morning?

“Want to talk about whatever is up your ass?”

Doesn’t he know by now that it wouldn’t take much for me to beat the shit out of him? “Nothing to talk about.” I get up from the weight bench grabbing a towel to wipe the sweat off of my face and shoulders.

Shane tosses me a bottle of water. It only takes seconds for me to drain it. Between the workout and the amount of beer I drank last night, I’m probably starting to dehydrate. “Is this about Alyssa?” If looks could kill, Shane would be a goner right now. “Rocco, if you like this girl, give it a shot. She seemed to be interested the other night.”

“She left and didn’t even say anything to me. Not even a text.” The words are out of my mouth before they can be stopped.

“Seriously? That’s your problem?” I can’t look at him. “The girl had a rough couple of weeks and the person responsible for it showed up out of the blue rubbing it in her face. I’m sure she just needed a break from this place and didn’t realize she had to clear it with you first. Have you talked to her all weekend?” I don’t respond. “Dude, you’re such a girl.” He’s snickering at me. “Stop being an ass and ask her out.”

“No.”

“Why not? And your excuse better not have anything to do with Vicki.”

Since Shane is pressing the issue, I may as well get it off my chest. “Vicki is part of it, but I also like that Alyssa and I are friends. The other night when we were all hanging out, she was laughing and having a good time. She’s someone I actually don’t mind being around. Usually, I just sleep with a girl and move on, but there’s something about Alyssa that makes me see shit differently.” I throw the towel on top of my bag.

“You cannot let Vicki control your life. Damn it, Rocco! Will you spend the rest of your life alone because you’re afraid that psycho bitch will find out you’re dating someone?” He’s leaning against the weight rack behind him.

“What if she did? You saw what she did to Melanie’s car last year and I only went out on a couple of dates with her. It was never anything serious.” My hand is running through my hair.

“It’s fucked up that just because her dad is some political big shot, they won’t arrest her. She needs to be locked up and put in a straitjacket.”

I gather my shit and head to the locker room. “That’s how it works, man.”

“I still think you should give this thing with Alyssa a shot. She’s good for you. Did you even notice how many girls you pissed off last night?” What’s he talking about? “Did you forget how trashed you were and ended up in bed before midnight alone?”

“Fuck off. I’m jumping in the shower.”

Shane’s right. I very rarely turn down any chance at getting laid. Talking about Vicki has me on edge now. I cannot believe I let my mom talk me into dating her a couple of years ago. She has been nothing but a pain in my ass. We dated for a couple of months because my stepfather was chairing some charity with her dad. She kept asking about me and my mom thought she was sweet. That was the first time my mom was ever wrong about anything. When I decided to break it off, Vicki let me know she’d never let me be happy with anyone ever. Last year, I took Melanie, a girl from my hometown, out a few times. When Vicki found out about it, she took a baseball bat to her car one day while it sat in my driveway. She was caught on the surveillance camera, but her dad paid off Melanie’s parents and the case was dropped against her. That concerns me since she has no fear of any repercussions.

My head isn’t any clearer after emerging from the shower. The question of whether or not I should pursue anything other than friendship with Alyssa has been bothering me for a few days. I’m not even sure I’m capable of anything more and she definitely needs someone who will give her exactly that. A major concern is definitely whether or not Vicki is over her bullshit. Alyssa does not need to get mixed up in that mess.

I wasn’t expecting to see Shane waiting for me outside of the gym. “Let’s go grab Logan and Troy. We’ll get something to eat. How about we go somewhere off-campus?”

“Whatever,” I reply.

Shane is quiet until we reach the stairs leading to the apartment building. “Look, man. I wasn’t trying to piss you off earlier. You’ve only known Alyssa for less than a week and she’s already getting to you. This isn’t normal for you. I’ll back off, but if you aren’t interested in her, I’m going to ask her out.”

“Like hell you will.” I almost knocked him down the concrete steps.

“I’ll give you a week, Matthews. Figure your shit out.”

He better be busting my balls. “You aren’t serious?”

“I’ve never been more serious in my life.”

“That is the most fucked up thing you have ever said to me, Shane.” I’m too stunned to be angry.

“Deal with it, Rocco. One week.”

We reach the bottom of the steps and immediately notice Alyssa and Leah hanging out in the grass on a blanket behind the building. It looks like they might have started out doing homework, but now they are just lounging around talking. Instantly, I’ve forgotten all about my douchebag friend of ten years and walk over toward them. The overwhelming excitement that is building in my chest is undeniable. I definitely have feelings for this girl, but have no idea what to do about them. This is all new to me. Leah sees us first and she must say something to Alyssa because she turns right around looking in our direction. Alyssa’s hair is pulled up again, but this time a few of her soft curls are blowing in the wind. She’s smiling as I make my way over, drop my gym bag in the grass, and plop myself across the bottom of their blanket.

“What’s up, girls?” I ask making myself comfortable in their space. Shane remains standing.

“Hey,” Alyssa says tucking a curl behind her ear and pulling her bare feet up to give me room.

“I heard you went home this weekend. Did you have a good time?” At least I’m able speak to her this time.

“It was okay.” She shrugs one shoulder. “I just hung out with my dad and my stepmom. How was yours?” Shane chuckles next to me. Alyssa looks over to him. “Shane, are you sitting down or are you just going to stand there?” Leah tells him she will make room for him on the other side and he walks around the blanket to sit down.

“Not bad,” I answer leaving out that she’s been on my mind the whole time.

“You have a tattoo?” How the hell did she see that? My right hand instinctively goes to the left side of my chest and I nod. “Let me see it.” She looks serious as she shifts to tuck her legs underneath her. She’s waiting for me to show her.

“Really?” I ask curiously.

“Really. Come on, let me see it. I want one, but I’m too afraid to get it.” I glance at Shane and he’s trying not to smile.

“Don’t be such a baby. If you really want one, go get it. It’s not that bad.” I tell her. Then I pull my shirt down by the neck revealing the tattoo I got about three years ago.

“Is that a police badge?”

I nod at her. A girl has never asked me about my tattoo. “It was my dad’s badge.”

“Was?” she asks reluctantly. The smile leaves her face. Damn it. I don’t want to make her upset, but decide to tell her the truth.

“My dad was shot by some guy out on parole he helped put away a few years before.” She doesn’t need to hear the rest of the gruesome story.

“Tell her the whole thing, Rocco,” Shane blurts out. Alyssa looks over to him and then back to me waiting to hear the story.

I sigh looking away. She won’t let this go, now that Shane opened his mouth. “When the guy got locked up, the state took his kid away, so he had it in for my dad and his partner. One day when I was seven, my dad had the day off and we went fishing. The scumbag somehow found out my dad was there. He actually tried to shoot me, but my dad took the bullet. He died while he was in surgery.” I wait for the look of pity that everyone gives me but it doesn’t come. She tilts her head to the side a tad, her eyes glass over, and the most amazingly beautiful lips I’ve ever seen give me a small smile.

“He’s your super hero,” she says making me smile.

“Yeah, I guess he is,” I tell her letting my shirt go, so it covers my tattoo back up. The sound of her cell phone ringing next to her ends the discussion.

“Shit. It’s Lori.” She exchanges a look with Leah. “She must have seen my Facebook account was reactivated.” I make a mental note to find her later.

“You may as well answer it. She won’t stop until she talks to you.” Leah says and Alyssa sighs.

“Hello?” she answers the call putting her head on her other hand.

“Who’s that?” I whisper to Leah. She whispers back that it’s Jeff’s sister. No wonder she didn’t want to answer.

“No, Lori. No one hacked my Facebook account. It’s not a joke. We broke up over a month ago. I have no idea why the hell didn’t he tell you.” Hearing one side of this conversation is annoying. She’s looking to Leah for help, but Leah just shrugs at her. “Uh, no. It was no mistake. I saw it with my own eyes. I walked in on him with some girl.” Damn this girl for making Alyssa go through this again. Shane is looking at me trying to get me to walk away. Not a chance. She starts fidgeting, so I lean over putting the palm of my hand on the top of her foot then wrap my fingers around her tiny ankle. She stills right away and looks at me with gratitude. My hand stays put.

Shane tells Leah he is going to get the guys ready to go out. She tells him the door outside of their apartment is propped open if he wants to use it. He thanks her and heads inside.

“No. No way.” Alyssa is shaking her head now. “What? Why the hell are you getting married Thanksgiving weekend? That’s a month away.” Her eyes get wide and a sad smile crosses her face. “You’re pregnant? Congratulations!” Leah’s mouth drops open at the news. “Really, Lori. That’s sweet of you to ask, but I cannot be in your wedding now. It wouldn’t be right. I know we’ve been friends since before we started dating. What do you mean you already bought my dress? You’re kidding me, right?” She’s glancing at Leah for help again and this time Leah is practically falling over she’s laughing so hard. Some friend. Alyssa starts laughing at what Lori is now saying. “So, what you’re saying is that you want me to be in your wedding and you want me to bring a date? Where the hell will I be able to find a date?”

My brain doesn’t even process what I’m about to do. I tap her on the side of the leg to get her attention. When she looks up, I say, “I’ll take you.” The girl on the phone must have heard me because Alyssa shot daggers at me. What did I say earlier? If looks could kill.

“It’s a friend of mine. I doubt he wants to really go, Lori. He’s just being nice.”

“I would love to take you to your friend’s wedding.” I’ll take her because there is no way in hell I’d let her go face her ex alone.

“Please don’t do this to me, Lori.” She is so adorable when she rolls her eyes. “Okay. Fine. I’ll be there, with a date.” She gives me a harsh look then continues, “as long as I don’t have to walk with, talk to, or be anywhere near you know who. Book me a room. Yeah, yeah. You better love me and you do owe me big time.” She disconnects the call and exhales. “I don’t know which one of you to stab first,” she says looking at both me and Leah.

“I cannot believe she got knocked up before the wedding.” Leah ignores her threat and starts to laugh again. Alyssa stands up and slides her feet back into her flip flops that were placed in the grass behind them. They both start packing up their stuff as Shane and Logan walk toward us.

“Troy said he’ll meet us at your car in about ten minutes,” Logan says. “Hey, girls. You coming out to eat with us?”

Alyssa doesn’t look happy. She slides her bag over her shoulder, grabs the blanket, and starts walking toward the building. Leah and I exchange a look and I tell her I’ll go talk to her. I catch up to her before she rounds the corner to the door.

“Hey. Wait up,” I call out. She stops moving forward, but she doesn’t turn around or say anything. I put my hand on her elbow causing her to look up at me. “What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong?” She looks sad again. “What’s wrong is that I’m going to get stuck going to this wedding alone and have to deal with Jeff and his family.”

“What do you mean alone? Didn’t I just say I’d take you?” I say pointing over to where we were just sitting.

“Yeah, but something will come up and you won’t be able to go. I’m not really holding you to going.”

“Alyssa, I’m not sure why you think that, but I’m taking you to that wedding.”

“It’s Thanksgiving weekend. Won’t you be spending the holiday with your family?” She has a hopeful expression in her eyes.

“Looks like this year, I’ll be spending it at a wedding with you.” Without warning, her arms are around my waist and her head is resting on my chest. My arms don’t even hesitate to pull her to me and my cheek is resting on her head. It feels like this is exactly where she belongs. I’m afraid to say anything because the thought of her releasing her hold on me is agonizing.

“How will I ever repay you, Rocco?” That makes me smile.

“I have an idea.” How did I not think of this earlier? She gazes up to me relaxing her grasp around me, but both of her hands are holding the bottom of my shirt at the waist. “How about you come with me to a charity dinner my mom has in two weeks?”

“A charity dinner?” She looks nervous. “I don’t think I’d be able to find something appropriate to wear.”

“I know my roommate and best friend did not just say that.” Leah’s voice interrupts our conversation and Alyssa let’s go of me the rest of the way and takes a step back. “Do you forget the kind of miracles I can perform?” Thank goodness for Leah.

“See, problem solved. I won’t have to go to the charity dinner alone and you’ll have someone to keep your ex away from you at the wedding.” Alyssa visibly relaxes.

“Okay, if you are sure you’d want me to go?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Not sure what she is talking about, I glance between her and Leah looking for a hint into their unspoken dialogue. Leah grins then turns to look at me.

“She’s going. Just let me know when to have her ready,” Leah announces.

“What the hell are you guys doing over there?” Troy calls as he comes out of the building. “Are we going to eat or what?” Shane and Logan are now walking passed us telling me to hurry up.

“You girls want to come get something to eat?” I ask Alyssa and Leah. They look at each other and Leah shrugs.

“I’ll have to get changed and grab Ty,” Leah says looking over to Alyssa.

“Where are you going?” Alyssa asks.

“We usually go to the bar on Main Street. They have a restaurant there, too.”

“I know where you mean. We’ll meet you there in about twenty minutes, if that works for you?”

“You want us to wait?” I really don’t want to let her out of my sight even if she’ll be meeting up with us soon.

“Do you really want to wait for Leah to get ready?” The sarcasm that floods her voice is irrefutable.

“I heard that,” Leah shouts making her way up the steps to the door. Alyssa and I both laugh.

“See you in a little bit.” I watch her catch up to her friend until they disappear in the building.

“Got your shit together I see,” Shane yells out when as I catch up to them by my car.

“Get in and shut the fuck up before I run your poor-excuse-for-a-friend ass over, Shane.” The smirk on his face isn’t enough to bother me this time. He’s lucky I’m in a very good mood right now.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-30